Is it normal to have cramping while on birth control?

[Worrywart123]

Hi, I was wondering if it's normal to have cramping on the pill, but not be on my period? I've taken all the birth control pills at the correct time, only being two hours late one day and have always used condoms. I have taken acetaminophen for a headache while I was on placebos and was wondering if that decreased the effectiveness of the pill?
Thanks for any help!

[Heather]

Is this common for you -- as in, in however long you have been using the pill, has this been frequent? How long have you been using it? And do these cramps feel like uterine/menstrual cramps, or are they more in your stomach or abdomen overall?

Over-the-counter analgesics are fine to use with the pill, btw. You can see what medications you may need to be concerned about here: Combined Oral Contraceptives (The Pill).

[Worrywart123]

I have been on sprintec for four months, they feel like menstrual cramps, I normally have cramps during my period or shortly before. My period is supposed to come not this week but next.

[Heather]

And this has been happening throughout all of those four months, only at certain times, or just now? Are these cramps mild, moderate, severe? Anything else going on with your body lately that seems at all off to you?

Can I check in with you about being up-to-date with your general sexual healthcare, including STI testing?

[Worrywart123]

They are mild, and come out of no where, I think there is a possibility of them being stress related because they only recently started towards the end of this week during exams. Could that happen?

[Heather]

Again, can you answer my question about your sexual healthcare? Uterine cramps are not at all likely to happen just because of stress. One of the most common things, though, for people who just start the pill and are sexually active is for them to ditch condoms awfully fast, often without everyone being recently tested. So, because uterine pain or discomfort can be due to infection -- and also due to other reproductive health conditions like endometriosis or PCOS -- I want to know that to make sure we can rule out any of those possibilities.

[Worrywart123]

Well my boyfriend and I always use condoms as well as the pill, and my boyfriend and I should probably go and get tested even though we've only been with each other, it would be a good idea.

[Heather]

So, are you saying you are NOT current with your general sexual healthcare, including STI tests? If not, yep, that's important anyway, even with condoms, and even without these cramps.

So, since you need to do that anyway, and are having these issues and concerns right now, I'd suggest you make an appointment with a sexual healthcare provider for a general exam and STI testing. That way they can rule those things out AND you can address this with someone who can examine you and thus, give you sound information about what may or may not be going on.

[Worrywart123]

Okay thank you.

[Heather]

Btw, none of this means that you for sure have an infection or other health condition. It may even just be that you're going to get your withdrawal bleed a little earlier than usual.

We'd just obviously want to rule any of those things out, as many of them will require treatment so you don't get sick.